US4076359A - Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning - Google Patents

Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning Download PDF

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Publication number
US4076359A
US4076359A US05/778,803 US77880377A US4076359A US 4076359 A US4076359 A US 4076359A US 77880377 A US77880377 A US 77880377A US 4076359 A US4076359 A US 4076359A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
socket
housing
lamp
lamp socket
bulb
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US05/778,803
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English (en)
Inventor
Robert Charles Brownlee
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Old Carco LLC
Original Assignee
Chrysler Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chrysler Corp filed Critical Chrysler Corp
Priority to US05/778,803 priority Critical patent/US4076359A/en
Priority to CA288,957A priority patent/CA1068366A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US4076359A publication Critical patent/US4076359A/en
Assigned to FIDELITY UNION TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE reassignment FIDELITY UNION TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE MORTGAGE (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: CHRYSLER CORPORATION
Assigned to CHRYSLER CORPORATION reassignment CHRYSLER CORPORATION ASSIGNORS HEREBY REASSIGN, TRANSFER AND RELINQUISH THEIR ENTIRE INTEREST UNDER SAID INVENTIONS AND RELEASE THEIR SECURITY INTEREST. (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ARNEBECK, WILLIAM, INDIVIDUAL TRUSTEE, FIDELITY UNION BANK
Assigned to CHRYSLER CORPORATION reassignment CHRYSLER CORPORATION PARTES REASSIGN, TRANSFER AND RELINQUISH THEIR ENTIRE INTEREST UNDER SAID PATENTS ALSO RELEASE THEIR SECURITY INTEREST. (SEE RECORD FOR DETAIL) Assignors: MANUFACTURERS NATIONAL BANK OF DETROIL (CORPORATE TRUSTEE) AND BLACK DONALD E., (INDIVIDUAL TRUSTEE)
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R33/00—Coupling devices specially adapted for supporting apparatus and having one part acting as a holder providing support and electrical connection via a counterpart which is structurally associated with the apparatus, e.g. lamp holders; Separate parts thereof
    • H01R33/05—Two-pole devices
    • H01R33/46—Two-pole devices for bayonet type base

Definitions

  • This invention relates to vehicle lamp sockets, and, more particularly, to a vehicle lamp socket assembly in which the same lamp socket member and socket housing member are employed to afford a selection of several different focal lengths or points to which a lamp bulb may be positioned for different focal length lamp housings.
  • the present invention avoids the aforementioned objection and provides a vehicle lamp bulb socket assembly comprising a tubular metallic shell or barrel-shaped socket member and an outer body or socket housing member.
  • the barrel body or socket housing member socket member features an axially longitudinally extending embossment terminating intermediately of the ends thereof and the socket housing has a plurality of arcuately spaced, longitudinally extending slots or grooves which are formed internally thereof and extend to different axial locations or depths therein to form differentially located stop abutments, whereby the same socket member and socket housing may accommodate and position a lamp bulb received in the socket member to any one of several different focal lengths or positions in accordance with the particular groove in which the embossment on the socket member is inserted in the socket housing.
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of a lamp socket and housing assembly in accordance with the present invention in which the socket is inserted in the housing in such a manner as to position a lamp bulb to one focal length in a lighting device;
  • FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken in the direction 2--2 of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of the lamp socket and housing assembly in which the socket is differentially positioned in the housing in such a manner as to position a lamp bulb to a different focal length for a different lighting device;
  • FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken in the direction 4--4 of FIG. 3.
  • FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate a bulb socket assembly 10 comprising a tubular metallic socket member 20, which receives the base 14 of the lamp bulb 12 and is received within the hollow interior of a plastic or metallic socket body or housing member 30.
  • the bulb 12 shown in dotted outline is an incandescent filament-type A, B or C based vehicle lamp bulb, as used for vehicle tail lamps and park/turn signal lamps, for example, and may be of the single or multiple filament variety with one or more electrical button contacts 16, 17 at the rear thereof. Electrical energy is supplied through the contacts to one side of the bulb filament or filaments through one or more electrical conductors (not shown), each terminating in a conventional terminal received within the housing 30 and insulated from each other and the housing for contacting a respective one of the buttons.
  • the barrel-shaped socket member 20 provides a bayonet mount for the bulb through a pair of oppositely disposed J-slots 22, 23 which may be of the odd or even variety and cooperate with the projecting pin 15 on the cylindrical base 14 constituting the grounding or electrical return terminal from the other side of the bulb filament or filaments.
  • the socket housing member 30 is of a generally, tubular walled formation, and, near its forward end, has an outwardly extending annular sealing collar or flange 32, which engages the back face of a panel 40 having an aperture 44 with one or more spaced cutouts therein as shown in the aforementioned patent referenced herein.
  • Several arcuately spaced locking flanges, two of which are shown at 34, 35 herein and located at the forward end of the socket body 30, permit the forward end of the socket housing to be inserted into the cutouts in the similarly configured panel aperture and to be twisted or turned relative thereto to lock the socket against the opposite surfaces of the panel.
  • the panel 40 may define the back of a lamp housing lighting device in which the bulb socket assembly 10 is received and may be a flattened central portion of a rearwardly located parabolic reflector or the back wall of a lamp housing having a lens focusing system located forwardly of the lamp bulb.
  • the bulb socket assembly must be positioned so that the bulb filament, shown at point O, is at the optical focal point of the parabolic reflecting surface or of the lens system.
  • the protrusion of the bulb into the lighting device is a function of the bulb socket focal length.
  • the same socket member 20 and socket housing 30 are employed to provide a variable or multiple bulb socket focal length design, whereby a lamp bulb may be positioned to any one of several different focal lengths or points for several different lighting devices.
  • a longitudinally extending, ridged embossment 26 which is of a generally rectangular cross-section and terminates intermediate the ends of the member 20 to provide a stop surface 27 thereon.
  • the socket housing member 30 is internally formed with several arcuately or angularly displaced slots or grooves 36, 38, which are of corresponding complementary shape to receive the socket embossment therein, but are of different longitudinal axial extents or depths therein.
  • the slots terminate at different longitudinal axial locations within the socket housing to provide differentially longitudinally located stop surfaces 37, 39 to cooperate with the embossment stop surface 27 on the socket barrel member 20 which is snugly received within the interior of the housing member into which it is inserted from one end thereof.
  • the barrel is oriented and aligned or indexed with a selected one of the housing slots or grooves 36, 38 as shown in FIGS.
  • the selected focal length is set when the barrel bottoms out in the housing slot with the top surface 27 thereon positioned against the cooperating stop shoulder or surface formed by the inner end of the housing groove.
  • Suitable retaining means as a tab 28 struck outwardly of the embossment 26, may be provided to permit insertion but prevent withdrawal of the socket barrel 20 from the socket housing.
  • the lamp bulb 12 With the socket barrel 20 oriented or indexed to receive the embossment 26 thereon in the upper groove or slot 38 in the housing 30, as shown in FIG. 2, the lamp bulb 12 will be positioned to provide a shorter focal length f 1 for the lamp and socket assembly shown in FIG. 1, than the focal length f 2 illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the socket barrel 20 is inserted in the lower groove or slot 36 in the housing 30 as shown in FIG. 4.
  • variable bulb socket focal length design is not restricted to a two focal length concept. Depending on the shape of the barrel embossment and the housing slots, three or more focal lengths are possible from the same parts.
  • the invention is not limited to cylindrical base bulbs, the principle of the invention being applicable to bulbs of different shaped bases, including wedge base bulbs, and correspondingly shaped socket members.

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  • Fastening Of Light Sources Or Lamp Holders (AREA)
US05/778,803 1977-03-17 1977-03-17 Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning Expired - Lifetime US4076359A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/778,803 US4076359A (en) 1977-03-17 1977-03-17 Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning
CA288,957A CA1068366A (fr) 1977-03-17 1977-10-18 Douille de lampe a distance focale variable par positionnement de l'ampoule

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/778,803 US4076359A (en) 1977-03-17 1977-03-17 Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US4076359A true US4076359A (en) 1978-02-28

Family

ID=25114429

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/778,803 Expired - Lifetime US4076359A (en) 1977-03-17 1977-03-17 Lamp socket assembly affording variable bulb focal length positioning

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US (1) US4076359A (fr)
CA (1) CA1068366A (fr)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4592615A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-06-03 Chrysler Corporation Folded redundant terminal
US4607901A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-08-26 Chrysler Corporation Mold fill wall for snap-in terminal retention
US4624524A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-11-25 Chrysler Motors Corporation Base redundant terminal
US4624523A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-11-25 Chrysler Motors Corporation Cantilevered redundant terminal
US4630880A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-12-23 Chrysler Motors Corporation Tab redundant terminal
US4720272A (en) * 1985-07-03 1988-01-19 Chrysler Motors Corporation Snap-in terminal with wire guide
US5111371A (en) * 1990-10-22 1992-05-05 Sterner Lighting Systems Incorporated Arc-stream correcting lamp holder
US6607293B2 (en) * 1999-11-30 2003-08-19 Yazaki Corporation Rear combination lamp
CN106594682A (zh) * 2016-11-03 2017-04-26 武汉通畅汽车电子照明有限公司 一种车灯灯泡的快速安装结构

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1150552A (en) * 1914-12-19 1915-08-17 Jason C Stearns Focusing device for electric lamps.
FR570285A (fr) * 1922-11-21 1924-04-26 Dispositif de montage réglable pour lampes de projecteurs, phares et autres applications
US2158852A (en) * 1937-02-03 1939-05-16 Gen Electric Electric socket

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1150552A (en) * 1914-12-19 1915-08-17 Jason C Stearns Focusing device for electric lamps.
FR570285A (fr) * 1922-11-21 1924-04-26 Dispositif de montage réglable pour lampes de projecteurs, phares et autres applications
US2158852A (en) * 1937-02-03 1939-05-16 Gen Electric Electric socket

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4592615A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-06-03 Chrysler Corporation Folded redundant terminal
US4607901A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-08-26 Chrysler Corporation Mold fill wall for snap-in terminal retention
US4624524A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-11-25 Chrysler Motors Corporation Base redundant terminal
US4624523A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-11-25 Chrysler Motors Corporation Cantilevered redundant terminal
US4630880A (en) * 1985-07-03 1986-12-23 Chrysler Motors Corporation Tab redundant terminal
US4720272A (en) * 1985-07-03 1988-01-19 Chrysler Motors Corporation Snap-in terminal with wire guide
US5111371A (en) * 1990-10-22 1992-05-05 Sterner Lighting Systems Incorporated Arc-stream correcting lamp holder
US6607293B2 (en) * 1999-11-30 2003-08-19 Yazaki Corporation Rear combination lamp
CN106594682A (zh) * 2016-11-03 2017-04-26 武汉通畅汽车电子照明有限公司 一种车灯灯泡的快速安装结构

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA1068366A (fr) 1979-12-18

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: FIDELITY UNION TRUST COMPANY, 765 BROAD ST., NEWAR

Free format text: MORTGAGE;ASSIGNOR:CHRYSLER CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:003832/0358

Effective date: 19810209

Owner name: FIDELITY UNION TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE,NEW JERSEY

Free format text: MORTGAGE;ASSIGNOR:CHRYSLER CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:003832/0358

Effective date: 19810209

AS Assignment

Owner name: CHRYSLER CORPORATION, HIGHLAND PARK, MI 12000 LYNN

Free format text: ASSIGNORS HEREBY REASSIGN, TRANSFER AND RELINQUISH THEIR ENTIRE INTEREST UNDER SAID INVENTIONS AND RELEASE THEIR SECURITY INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:FIDELITY UNION BANK;ARNEBECK, WILLIAM, INDIVIDUAL TRUSTEE;REEL/FRAME:004063/0604

Effective date: 19820217

AS Assignment

Owner name: CHRYSLER CORPORATION

Free format text: PARTES REASSIGN, TRANSFER AND RELINQUISH THEIR ENTIRE INTEREST UNDER SAID PATENTS ALSO RELEASE THEIR SECURITY INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:MANUFACTURERS NATIONAL BANK OF DETROIL (CORPORATE TRUSTEE) AND BLACK DONALD E., (INDIVIDUAL TRUSTEE);REEL/FRAME:004355/0154

Effective date: 19840905